As a handy type illuminating lamp, flashlights have been widely used. In recent years, flashlights with signaling lamp, which have a function as a signaling lamp in addition to a function as a primary illuminating lamp, have been also popularized. Most typical flashlights with signaling lamp have both a function to irradiate white illumination light as a primary illuminating lamp and a function to emit red scattered light as a signaling lamp. Such flashlights with signaling lamp are widely used for the purpose informing traffic means of danger, etc. Particularly, there are many instances where policemen in charge of traffic control always carry such a flashlight with signaling lamp. Lately, there have been carried out attractions such that spectators wave about signaling lamps or signal lights on their heads to give signal during playing at a concert hall to produce atmosphere of the entirety of the concert hall. In such use, signal lights of various kinds of colors including red are utilized.
It is required for the flashlight with signaling lamp to have both functions of illuminating lamp and signaling lamp and to be compact and light in weight as a whole for being handy to carry. For this reason, it is general to utilize a single light source which is used as an illuminating lamp at one time and is used as a signaling lamp at the other time. In view of this, conventional flashlights with signaling lamp employ a structure in which a red transparent body for signaling lamp covers over the side of a lamp bulb to slide a conic-shaped reflection plate in a length direction of the body within the red transparent body. Namely, in the case where such a flashlight with signaling lamp is used as illuminating lamp, the reflection plate is caused to cover over the lamp bulb to irradiate light of the lamp bulb in a length direction of the body instead of in a side direction so that it can be utilized as an illuminating light. On the other hand, in the case where the flashlight is used as a signaling lamp, the reflection plate is caused to be away from the lamp bulb to scatter light of the lamp bulb through the red transparent body provided at the side thereof to emit it toward the outside. When such structure is employed, any one of two functions can be selectively used by movement of the reflection plate.
However, the first problem of the above-described conventional flashlight with signaling lamp is that miniaturization is difficult from a structural point of view. As previously described, in order to permit use as a signaling lamp, it is necessary to provide a red transparent body at the side of the lamp bulb. This red transparent body corresponds to a portion which is observed to luminous red. Accordingly, if this portion is reduced in dimensions, the effect as a signaling lamp is reduced. Thus, it is inevitable to ensure certain dimensions. Since the portion for performing the function as an illuminating lamp is required in addition to the portion for performing the function as a signaling lamp, miniaturization is difficult as a whole.
The second problem of the conventional flashlight with signaling lamp is that operability is poor. Switching between the illuminating lamp and the signaling lamp is carried out by sliding a front end portion within which the reflection plate is accommodated. By the requirement to realize miniaturization for convenience in portability, it is impossible to excessively enlarge the sliding front end portion. For this reason, an operator must slide the small front end portion in upper and lower directions to carry out switching. As a result, operability considerably becomes poor. In addition, since a switch operation for carrying out ON/OFF of lamp bulb is required, operator is required to carry out both switch operation and slide operation until light is caused to be emitted in a desired use state.
With the above in view, an object of this invention is to provide a flashlight with signaling lamp which is suitable for miniaturization and is satisfactory in operability